Theatre Review: GHOST The Musical at The Lowry

Arriving at The Lowry theatre last night for it’s final leg of it’s UK and Ireland tour, Ghost The Musical, which began at the New Wimbledon Theatre back in September 2016, brought the classic 1990 film to life…

Based on Bruce Joel Robbin’s film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, the Bill Kenwright Productions Company tells the story tragic love story of Sam Wheat (Andy Moss) and Molly Jensen (Kelly Hampson). Their lives are torn apart when Sam is murdered in a robbery arranged by his own friend (Ethan Bradshaw), and when he witnesses the scene of his own death, he realizes he is trapped between two worlds. Realizing he is a ghost, he sees that Molly’s life is also in danger, and tries to protect her through the psychic, Oda Mae Brown (Jacqui Dubois).

Andy Moss as Sam Wheat

The first understudy, Kelly Hampson, performed the role of Molly, usually taken on by Carolyn Maitland. None the less, Hampson delivered a wonderfully captivating performance- fully submerged into the emotion that the storyline boasts. The chemistry between the lead character roles drew the audience in and quickly became a real tearjerker.

Andy Moss’ performance doesn’t go unnoticed either. He makes for a brilliant Sam; truly portraying the frustration the character feels when he can no longer make contact to the real world.

However, it can’t be denied that Jacqui Dubois stole the show with her hilarious performance of Oda Mae Brown. A joy to watch- Dubois adds a touch of sass and comedy to the storyline; just as much as Whoopie Goldberg did in the 1990 original.

Jacqui Dubois as Oda Mae Brown

Interwoven between the plot, music from Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart and songwriter Glen Ballard leads the love story- bringing the stage production to life and injecting even more emotion into to the performance, whilst the impressive backdrops and stage props proves to be a credit to the film- especially during the train scenes.

Overall, the casting of the performance is impeccable. With so many larger than life personalities within the show, it’s almost unbelievable to see how small the ensemble is at the curtain call. A true delight to watch, Ghost The Musical is on at The Lowry theatre until 29^th April.